With the World Cup fast approaching, kicking off on June 11, hospitality and food service personnel in various U.S. cities hosting the event are gearing up for possible labor strikes over wage disputes.
At SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California, a group of employees, including cashiers, dishwashers, cooks, and bartenders, reached a preliminary agreement on Tuesday. However, the union made it clear that it reserves the right to strike if federal immigration authorities jeopardize the safety of its members during the tournament. The U.S. will begin the World Cup with a match against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium, recently renamed Los Angeles Stadium, on June 12.
About 2,000 workers represented by Unite Here Local 11 had previously voted 96% in favor of authorizing a strike before the agreement was reached. They are pushing for a new union contract that encompasses wage increases and safeguards against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions.
“We’re just trying to make things fair,” said Eva Miles, a bartender at SoFi Stadium since its opening in 2021. “Without us, they don’t have a stadium. Are they going to cook? Are they going to pour those drinks? Are they going to serve these people?”
Miles pointed out that her current pay renders it impossible for her and her coworkers to live close to the stadium. She travels two hours daily, with some colleagues facing even longer commutes.
“Let’s see them live on our wage, let’s see them raise a family,” she continued. Workers are advocating for salaries above $30 an hour. “I’ve been there since the beginning. I love meeting new people. I want my guests to be happy, and I want them to enjoy it and have a great experience. I know they spend a lot of money, and I know they’re spending a lot of money on this FIFA World Cup, so I don’t understand why we can’t get what we want and everybody be happy.”
Additionally, the ACLU of Southern California and LAANE have lodged a formal complaint against FIFA’s accreditation policy, which requires workers to disclose immigration status to secure jobs for this summer’s World Cup.
Enrique Fernández, the general vice president for immigration, civil rights, and diversity at Unite Here, highlighted that numerous union members are immigrants slated to work in hospitality across World Cup cities.
The union encompasses workers from nearly 200 nations and has its roots in the 1912 Bread and Roses strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts, organized by its immigrant founders.
“They experience the effects of anti-immigrant policy and rhetoric every day, and they don’t need the added stress of tracking ICE agents at their workplaces,” Fernández commented.
SoFi Stadium opted not to provide comments, instead referring inquiries to Legends Global, the company that employs the staff.
“Legends Global has enjoyed a strong relationship with Unite Here Local 11 for more than a decade and remains committed to reaching a fair agreement through good faith negotiations,” a spokesperson stated via email. “We look forward to delivering an outstanding hospitality experience for fans at the FIFA World Cup matches at Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium).”
In Seattle, hotel workers from Unite Here Local 8 at the Embassy Suites Hilton near Lumen Field, where six World Cup matches will take place, voted 94% in favor of authorizing a strike. About 100 hotel employees are advocating for better wages, year-round health insurance, protections from ICE, and improved staffing levels.
“We need the wages to improve,” expressed Hayden Eyerly, a front desk worker at the Embassy Suites Hilton. He noted that the hotel has only offered annual raises of approximately $0.80 throughout the contract. “No one here thinks that is reasonable, especially given the rising costs of everything, particularly gas prices.”
Eyerly shared that some coworkers frequently lose health insurance during the tourism offseason due to reduced work hours and argued that staffing at the hotel has not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
“Everyone is very tired. Every department has been operating with a skeleton crew,” Eyerly mentioned. “We’re trying to make real changes, a real positive impact in our lives. We all deserve to work one job, we all deserve to come home and have the energy to be there for our families.”
A spokesperson for Hilton indicated that the hotel has contingency plans in the event of a strike.
“We remain committed to negotiating in good faith to reach a fair and reasonable agreement that benefits both our valued team members and our hotel,” they noted in an email.
In Philadelphia, workers at six hotels represented by Unite Here Local 274 are threatening strikes during World Cup events as their union contracts have expired without new agreements. A strike deadline of June 12 has been set by the hotels if new contracts are not finalized by that date.
Maciah Magloughlin, a server at the Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District, revealed that workers are demanding significant wage increases, a workload cap of 15 rooms for housekeepers, protections from ICE for immigrant workers, and more affordable health coverage for dependents.
“The hotels have the money to give us what we deserve,” Magloughlin remarked, referencing the anticipated $770 million economic boost from the World Cup for the Philadelphia region. “What we’re fighting for is that the people who hold this industry up on their backs also get a piece of that, because people are fighting to send their kids to school or take time off or buy groceries, and that’s not fair, especially with such a significant summer ahead.”
The Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District responded to the strike threat, stating that negotiations for a new union contract are ongoing: “We respect our team members’ rights to engage in legally protected activities and look forward to reaching a fair contract. While discussions are ongoing, we remain committed to ensuring our guests enjoy their stay.”
FIFA declined to comment on the situation, maintaining that the contract dispute at SoFi Stadium does not involve them and refrained from addressing the other labor action threats or its ICE accreditation policy.
